Empyrean

While we may refer to the Empyreans as a single group, they actually consisted of many different cultural groups, just as we Isparians may have an Aluvian, Gharu’ndim, or Sho cultural heritage. The most prominent Empyrean cultures were the Falatacot, Dericost, Yalain, and Haebrous, but there were others. The Empyrean themselves were very long lived compared to our Isparian life spans. One thousand years was the average life span for most. Their physical appearance was very similar to ours and varied as our own appearance does. Recent sightings of Asheron describe him to be over six feet tall and very thin, while a vision from a [[Shadow] tells of a squat, obese Empyrean. Eye color may have been distinctive to each cultural group, the witches of the Falatacot were said to have marble green eyes, while the visions of the Shadows and the descriptions of Asheron imply that the Yalain may have typically been amber eyed. This is not unheard of, the Silverans of our own home world are typically blue eyed and blond.

We have very few clues of how the Empyreans developed on Auberean, the planet Dereth resides on, or even if they are native to this planet. After studying the recently rediscovered Floating City, the noted scholar and explorer Alatar Locke feels that the Empyreans did not originate here. Instead, he suggests that they came to Auberean for a specific reason, a reason that has since been lost to the ravages of time. He feels that the Floating City proves this idea. Evidence found there suggests that it was not built by the last Empyrean culture that lived there, the Yalain, but was simply rediscovered when they mastered portal magics and was then inhabited again. If this is the case, it suggests that the original Empyrean civilization suffered some sort of collapse, a collapse so great that most of their learning and history was lost. It is possible that this collapse was related to the original binding of the Great Master by the Old Ones. We may, however, never know the true origins of the Empyreans, it appears that they themselves did not know it.

At least three of the major Empyrean cultures were feudal in nature, with ruling structures similar to those seen in Ispar. The daily life for most Empyreans was probably not too different from our own, some Empyreans were smiths, some were scribes, some miners, and others military commanders. The Aerlinthe Record even tells of one Empyrean who was a fisherman and harvester of pearls, while another was a noted traveling entertainer. The only difference in the life of these Empyreans was the presence of mana and magic in almost all of their daily tasks. A miner might have directed Golems to their tasks, a smith may have forged Pyreal weapons, an alloy of metal and mana, and a military commander may have commanded floating Skytowers in battle. This saturation of mana and magic in their lives probably lead to a higher standard of living for the average Empyrean than an Isparian might enjoy. However, we should not necessarily envy their abilities, the old adage of “the higher the precipice, the greater the fall” applies. The enormous power that the Empyreans employed lead to titanic struggles and consequences that altered the world, consequences we newcomers to this land are still dealing with.